‘Even Dhoni does that, but he takes 10 steps more’ – Ravichandran Ashwin reveals India captain Rohit Sharma’s gesture towards his ailing mother

Rohit Sharma and Ravi Ashwin. (Photo source: BCCI)

The thrilling five-Test series ended on a high for Team India as they humbled England with a 4-1 series bashing. The series also became special as the final and fifth Test which was played in Dharamshala was Ravichandran Ashwin’s 100th Test cap for India. Moreover, the ace Indian off-spin wizard went on to achieve the 500-wicket landmark. However, at one stage, Ashwin dealt with family adversity as his mother was severely sick and he felt devastated at that juncture.

So much so that he tried all the possibilities to jet off immediately from Rajkot to Chennai but to no avail. Thereafter the Indian captain Rohit Sharma took matters into his own hands and went a notch up to try to arrange a chartered flight for Ashwin so that he could leave to attend to his mother at the earliest possible without caring about the void the Indian team would have to suffer due to his absence. Notably, Ashwin left the Indian team midway while the Rajkot Test was on.

Reflecting on the tumultuous times, the ace spin legend took to his renowned social media channel to share the inside details of his struggles and how the skipper displayed humanitarian effort of the highest order and his golden heart to help him to visit his mother right away. Ashwin lauded Sharma’s incredible leadership both on and off the field this time and also expressed his gratitude towards the captain.

“I asked how she was and if she was conscious. The doctor apparently told me that she was not in a position to be seen. I started tearing up. I was searching for a flight but I couldn’t get one. The Rajkot airport closes down at 6 as there are no flights from there after 6. I didn’t know what to do. Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) Bhai came to my room and Rohit literally asked me to stop thinking and leave to be there with my family. And he was trying to arrange a charter flight for me,” Ashwin revealed the details on his YouTube channel.

“Kamlesh, the team physio, is a very good friend of mine. Rohit told him to fly with me to Chennai and be with me but I convinced him to stay back. When I went down, the security and Kamlesh were already there, waiting. Kamlesh got a call from Rohit on our ride towards the airport, checking up on me and literally asking him to be with me during this tough time. It was 9:30 at night. I was just gobsmacked,” the 37-year-old continued.

Furthermore, Ashwin also expressed his sheer admiration for the ‘Hitman’ for displaying immense empathy and also attending to his situation personally. Hence, the ace off-spin legend attributed Rohit Sharma’s impeccable captaincy success in international cricket citing this heart-rendering gesture.

“I cannot even think about it. The two people there are the only ones that I could talk. What if nobody was there? I just thought, even if I were a captain, I’d tell my players to go back home. No second thoughts about it. But will I be calling people to check up on him? I don’t know. Unbelievable. I saw an outstanding leader in Rohit Sharma that day,” Ashwin said while admiring Rohit’s incredible gesture.

Also Read: ‘Dey football manager’ – Ravichandran Ashwin makes fun of Kuldeep Yadav after his Premier League football post goes viral

Ravichandran Ashwin finished with most wickets in India-England Test series after his comeback

Remarkably, after Ravichandran Ashwin joined back the Indian team, he continued his sublime touch with the ball and almost single-handedly decimated the backbone of England’s batting lineup. The magnitude and impact of his magical bowling tell a glorious tale of his comeback from an adverse family situation. The spin wizard picked up 26 wickets in the Test series. Not just that, during this incredible run, the Chennai-born bowling legend bagged two 5-wicket hauls which propelled Team India to hand England their first-ever series defeat under the ‘bazball’ era.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: Ashwin surpasses Anil Kumble, equals Richard Hadlee with 36th fifer in Dharamsala Test